Film Reviews / May. 04, 2018
Quebecois director Rodrigue Jean became a well-known figure in his country after his film Love in the Time of Civil War (2014) was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. But before this, he also another relevant piece of queer cinema. For the documentary Men for Sale (2008), he spent one year following Montreal’s young male sex workers giving him a unique understanding of their lives. All this material will later inspire him to fictionalize their lives in Love in the Time of Civil War.
Men for Sale tracks 11 male sex workers and asks them the reason why they want to do this. The first answer is always that they can make easy money in short time to keep up with their drug habits. They have been since they were teenagers. But what the directors wants to really explore is the reason why these men keep sinking. Some of them are still doing prostitution, some of them have quitted, and a few of them have even done porn before.
Every interviewee is asked about their first time as a prostitute, how they felt and how was the interaction with the client. Some mentioned that a few policemen used their power to force them to do it for free, or that some of their clients are high officials. Others confess that they are not gay, but still choose to do this. Why do they force themselves to do something they hate? For the money, to survive or for drugs? It is an unsolved question.
The film also deals with HIV contagion within this community. Some of them became HIV positive due to unprotected sex and/or drug use. As they open their hearts, they start to reveal their family background and stories. Maybe, many of us cannot agree with their reasons for doing the things they do; however, it is this kind of neglect that feeds the numbers in this crisis. Of course, drug-dealers and clients are also accomplices.
Maybe these sex workers just need the love and attention that we all need. This documentary may not actually change our malfunctioning society nor change these boys’ situation but, at least, some of them are willing to open up and speak for themselves, giving visibility to their situation. It is a start for self-salvation, and a testimony of their will to find meaning in life.
